Rika Ishige is back in Bangkok and training at The Coach Gym. She might not have fought in a while but the fighter turned social media star clearly still packs a punch.
She filmed a video with a fellow influencer in which she tried to see how many of her body shots he could take. It was not exactly rigged in Rika’s favour as he was wearing an abdominal punching pad, designed to absorb the impact of punches.
She was also wearing 8oz gloves so there were several layers of protection between her knuckles and the belly of Dart Siriraks, who boasts over 600,000 followers on Tik Tok. But Rika, who was better known for her grappling than her striking, still manages to hurt him:
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Private lessons
Rika appears to be back in Bangkok after a recent trip to Chiang Mai. With 246,ooo followers on Instagram and 462,ooo 0n Facebook she is a big social media star whose every move is tracked by her army of fans.
Earlier this month she was offering private MMA lessons at the Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok. The luxury five star riverside resort clearly hopes that having Rika as an in house instructor will bring in more guests.
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Back in black
Rika posed for some photos at the hotel and has changed her hair colour again, reverting from red to her natural black. She is a big supporter of Move Forward, the political party which won the recent elections in Thailand by a landslide.
Rika will be closely watching developments this week as voters wait to see whether or not the party’s leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, will be allowed to become the new Prime Minister. While fans started following the mixed martial artist to keep tabs on her fighting career she also shares some thoughtful political posts.
Rika appears to still be training regularly as well as teaching MMA classes. It is nearly three years since the 34 year old last fought but fans are still hoping a comeback could be on the cards.
